Stepping up to the Edge
by Exalted Nemesis
Summary: The first in a series of short stories centering around both the films and games. Thrill to the adventures of the brave humans and creatures that dare to defy the Umbrella Corporation.


The security lights outside the complex had slowly begun to switch on in unison, it was getting dark and shadows of the dying day began to creep up amongst the buildings. The entire complex and the buildings were white; they were featureless standing like large brick termite mounds in the surrounding bushland. To the casual observer these buildings were part of the only operational section of the Umbrella Corporation, a medical research institute kept open only by the loyal voters and customers.

Ever since the Racoon incident many of the labs were found to be illegally experimenting with not only animals but also human beings. Court case after court case officials as far as northern Europe claimed that the research being conducted in their lab's was for medical reasons only and that the so called human test subjects were simply cadavers or those who had donated their body for science. Yet despite the outcries and 'files' that mysteriously turned up at the local papers and news stations Umbrella still lived on. They were the largest pharmaceutical company throughout the world so only those labs that were marked 'hot' by the authorities were shut down. Weekly and monthly inspections to the labs still in operation were conducted and although the innocent public and the politicians believed that the infamous Umbrella Corp had cleaned up their act there were those who knew the truth.

The corporation was too powerful to stop their research with the T and G virus so it continued and the inspectors were either paid off or simply 'retired' at an early age. Umbrella was no longer seen as an evil entity capable of making super soldiers in secret labs and was once again seen as the friendly helpful company that manufactured everything from medicine to computers. How wrong they were! Little did Umbrella know that soon the past would be unravelled and that some of their best work would turn against them….

Alyssa Winterstone remembered very little about how she had escaped her holding cell or somehow managing to over power the six-armed guards outside. All she could remember were the alarms screaming in her ears and the sound of heavy feet following behind her. Everything was a blurry headache to her, she had no idea where to go or what to do and only running on pure primal instinct Alyssa knew she had to escape.

Her escape wasn't going to be alone, she could hear him behind her too breathing heavily, growling at the back of his throat. Some how he had gotten loose too and was not going to stop chasing after Alyssa. She had no time to think about what was chasing her at the moment however as she rushed past operating rooms and holding cells that she knew all too well.

The monotone female voice announced over the speakers that a complete lockdown of the facility was in progress and also that a viral contamination was evident in the upper levels.

Alyssa didn't care about that she was running her long legs pumping, pushing her along the hallway. Behind her the heavy footsteps struggled to keep up with her and Alyssa knew if she lost this race it could mean death. She had no intention of hurting anyone but if she had to then the heavy footsteps that seemed to be growing closer by the second would be the first.

Suddenly out of nowhere a pair of armed guards jumped from the shadows. They were wearing gas masks and looked like insects then people. They each had an assault rifle in their hands, which they waved at Alyssa. Both shouted something and made threatening gestures at her. Alyssa took one step back, the heavy footsteps stopped, she glanced towards the window, it was a large tinted window easily broken. The two men slowly came towards her and then it happened.

The shadows in the darkened hallway came to life and grabbed the nearest man; they slammed him up against the wall roaring so loud it rattled the windows. The other man turned around and fired at the shadow beast, Alyssa heard a crunching sound and smelt blood. She wasted no time, he was occupied with the two guards but once they were dead then the chase was on again, more would come after her. Alyssa took a running leap and smashed through the fragile glass.

For a moment everything was in slow motion, the voice saying the lockdown was almost complete, the remaining guard firing his rifle at Alyssa, the glass shattering outwards and raining down below. Then time caught up with Alyssa as she landed on the cement ground and began to run.

Behind her she heard something large thump down on the concrete cracking it, she could only smile and run towards the fence. She easily scaled it despite the searchlights shinning on her and the ping of bullets on the fence. Alyssa climbed over the barbed wire fence and disappeared into the night, the heavy footsteps thudding behind her.

Dr Dennis Griffin was a man who always got what he wanted and if he didn't then there would always be a substitute. Griffin knew for a fact that all of his employees feared him but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to Griffin now was what he saw on the security footage shot only ten minutes. He watched the black and white camera images of Alyssa Winterstone running down the hallway and also the large black shadow that followed behind her.

The Winterstone girl had been at the medical research centre since she was three years old and she was now seventeen. The girl had been pulled kicking and screaming from her father's arms as he was bundled in the back of a black van. It was as though Alyssa knew that she would never see her father again and according to the reports her 'abilities' had been fairly developed even at a young age. Enough to put several members of the squad in hospital for a few months at least, the injuries were only minor but the girl was unique. She was one of a handful of human specimens that had bonded with the virus on a cellular level, complete assimilation, with a few minor defects, the girl had to be kept medicated with the vaccine Daylight to halt any mutation.

Gazing at the security footage that showed the guards being crushed by the dark shadows Griffin didn't even need to consider when giving the order to pursue the Winterstone girl. The only specific order was that the girl be returned to the facility alive, but there was no guarantee of that, a stray bullet, jittery instincts or even…

Shaking the thought off Griffin knew in the back of his mind this day was coming. When Alyssa was young he had tried to gain her trust by being a father figure to her. Yet she had resented him the same way that the black clothed giant had done. But it didn't matter to Griffin he already had the loyalty of one such chimera and Alyssa would've been sent off to a different training facility regardless.

Turning back to the tape Griffin replayed Alyssa's escape; it seemed so carefully planned as though she had told it what to do.

"So you do have complete control over it do you?" Griffin whispered. "Both of you are more valuable then I thought"

Even with the escape of the best human specimen Griffin knew that Umbrella would survive. He had gathered enough data from Alyssa to please the fat cats upstairs so they couldn't complain.

_Besides now you have to orchestrate a plausible story for them to believe_ Griffin thought to himself.

He had already worked out the story he was going to tell it was quite simple. There were certain groups that were more dangerous to Umbrella then the average group of animal rights protesters with placards that stood at the gate. Some had been part of the renegade S.T.A.R.S. unit that had long since disbanded while others hailed from the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Squad. All it seems had, had some degree of military training and were responsible for the destruction of labs and valuable data. The rebels had carried out their crimes with the uttermost care and although the majority of them had been labelled criminals they only wore disguises when out in public. When destroying the labs their identities were for the entire world to see, they wanted to be known and feared by Umbrella but their pathetic attempts had made the corporation even more determined then ever to fill orders and create new weapons.

Griffin knew if he made it look like the rebels had been here at the facility and Alyssa had escaped in the confusion it would be believed. He was a valued researcher in his field and because of that whatever he said was simply nodded at and no questions asked. Griffin knew that the Winterstone girl would return back to him in one way or another all it took was time.

The sudden rush of cold air that hit her face wasn't the thing that made Alyssa realise that she was free neither was the sound of the helicopters blades or the barking of dogs, it was the simple fact that she longer was confined behind walls. Here out in the open she could run across the dewy wet grass fields in any direction she wanted to, her path was not chosen for her.

Running into the darkened bushland Alyssa stopped for a moment and turned to see how far she had between the various squads.

The helicopters flew towards the bushland at a steady pace, their large searchlights illuminating the dark landscape. On the ground were guards with savage Alsatians straining at their leads while further back a few jeeps bounced across the field their round headlights set on full beam.

Alyssa knew that despite the heavy cover the trees provided she could not stay here for very long, if the helicopters didn't find her then the dogs and jeeps would.

So she took up her running pace again never faltering in stride and keeping her head up. Alyssa would lead the squads on a desperate chase well into the night and her determination to never return to the labs spurred her on. Behind Alyssa the heavy footsteps began once again and the crack of a tree branch every so often caused Alyssa to run even faster.

Endurance training was something that neither Jill Valentine nor Carlos Oliveira wanted to go through. Yet the training that they did as a team was necessary for them to keep in top peak condition. If any member of the team didn't keep renewing their strengths and working on their weaknesses then it may very well be the end for them. Endurance training was an activity both willingly entered if it put a few more years of fighting on their lives then it was worth it.

It was still quite early in the morning when the pair set out from their log cabin; in fact it was so dark that Jill had been forced to carry a torch to light the way. The endurance test was composed of various exercises each designed to test the limits of their psychical bodies. Nothing new to either of them so the morning went by without as much as a strained muscle or a scraped knee, however the hill was a different matter.

Jill and Carlos had just finished climbing up to the rocky outcrop when it happened, the event that would alter their lives forever.

At first the strange movement on the right side of the bushland couldn't really be seen, yet it wasn't until Jill had a closer look did she realise something was up.

"What is that?" she asked no one in particular.

Carlos picked up his binoculars and peered through them, "It's a person, no wait a girl in a hospital gown?!?"

Hearing this Jill took the binoculars and saw to her amazement it was a tall thin girl with long white hair in a blue hospital gown running for her life. Behind her trees were pushed aside and even in some instances fell down.

By now it was too late for the pair to realize that whatever was following the girl would be led straight to where they were. The girl got to the base of the hill and began climbing like it was something she did every day.

It all happened so fast that Jill and Carlos had little time to react, the girl in the hospital gown materializing out of no where being chased by something the size of an elephant and then of all things climbing up the rocky hill like a lizard.

One moment the girl was scrambling up the hill and the next she was in the cave, on the dirt floor heavily breathing with sweat running off her face in small streams. It took her a few more minutes to realize that she wasn't alone in the cave.

Looking up into the startled faces of a woman and a man both in camouflage gear the girl uttered, "He's coming too" then collapsed on the floor heaving.

Both Jill and Carlos didn't need to wonder who 'He' was; peering out of the cave they were met with a familiar yet terrible sight. It made both wish that it were an elephant that had chased this poor girl through the bushland.

The creature was breathing heavily just like the girl, standing at over eight feet tall and dressed in a black trench coat outfit the monster known as Nemesis was easily recognised. His lipless mouth opened and past his yellowed teeth the monster began to roar and step towards the hill. Stepping towards the hill's side Nemesis first adjusted the rocket launcher and chain gun he had strapped on either side before attempting to climb.

There weren't any swear words bad and loud enough that either Jill or Carlos could say towards the current situation. Two times had they seen the monstrous Nemesis in all his glory and twice both had escaped by the skin of their teeth.

Ignoring the roar of the closing Nemesis, Jill and Carlos first checked on the girl then considered their situation.

"Shit! How is this possible?" Jill said. "Are we cursed? I mean how did that thing know…"

Carlos couldn't add anything helpful, "We only have a combat knife, hand gun and smoke grenades, not enough to take on something like that"

"We didn't expect that this would happen I mean the girl coming here and now Nemesis"

"Yeah I guess next time we should warn others before they go out that they may run into eight foot tall giants who want to kill you" Carlos remarked.

But this was no time for joking, as if to remind the pair that their time was growing closer to ending Nemesis roared again, only this time for some unknown reason it didn't sound as fierce more desperate then aggressive.

_I must be hearing things_ Jill thought, _that monster is incapable of feeling anything not even pain_. Her mind flashed briefly back to Racoon, that beast that pursued her through the city; they were memories that Jill had fought so hard to bury. Yet inside a small rocky outcrop with a mysterious girl and a friend they had risen again thanks to a monster Jill thought had long since perished in the flames of a dead city. She wasn't going through all that emotional pain again, a phantom from her past had once again reared its ugly head and it was time for Jill to end it once and for all.

Carlos has started to yell at Nemesis and throw rocks at the monster but Jill only knew it would make the creature angrier. Striding past Carlos, Jill opened her backpack and took out the small handgun. At point blank range Jill knew that she'd hit the monster straight between the eyes. _Time to end this, all the suffering, all the nightmares everything_ Jill thought. She knew that Nemesis had come back to taunt her psychologically though not the same mutant giant that had been sent after her Jill knew all the same that this one bullet would count.

Jill stood at the cave mouth, ignoring a stunned Carlos and stared down at her foe. Despite all the roaring she had heard Nemesis had barely even climbed half the hill, in fact he had anchored himself to the walls with his long tentacle appendances. Both stared back at each other, Jill saw the monster had green pupils for eyes not that it would matter once she pulled the trigger. She could visualise the fall of the giant from the wall in a sadistic kind of way, it would no doubt shield it's face after the gunshot, scream in pain and then fall hard onto the rocks below perhaps breaking its back. Then once the monster was out of commission Jill would slide down the hill and empty the rest of the clip into the creature's unfeeling body.

Yet something didn't feel right about the entire situation, Nemesis sounded different and there was something strange about him altogether. He wanted to get up into the cave with them but not to kill there was another reason for the creature's actions.

Carlos shouted something to her but Jill wasn't listening, she was aiming the gun making sure she wouldn't miss or that it could be avoided by Nemesis. _It'll all be over soon_ she thought. Jill flicked the safety switch off and her index finger curled around the trigger.

Then suddenly the girl leapt forward knocking the gun away, her pale sweat drenched face flashed briefly in front of Jill before she fell over.

As Jill struggled to her feet she noticed that Nemesis had stopped screaming and had dropped off the hill's side and now was standing below them, staring up at the opening.

"Don't….hurt him…he's not bad" the girl gasped before dropping onto the floor.

Carlos quickly picked the gun up and then turned to Jill his face a mask of shock, "No offence Jill but what did you think you going to do?"

"That bastard followed me, he followed us Carlos, it's Racoon all over again, I just thought that the girl, she was upset and now I don't know!" Jill shouted.

"It doesn't mean that you do something stupid that could endanger us both.." Carlos started to say before Jill cut him off.

"Just shut up Carlos you weren't there, you didn't see what that son of a bitch did to the people I once worked with and now it's coming back again and I don't think I can live with that" Jill shouted.

At the same time Nemesis began to roar only this time it was an angry, threatening tone.

Jill walked up to the edge and shouted down towards the giant, "Go away you horrible murder, haven't you caused enough damage? Or do you think you can pick up where the other's left off? You want me? Then come on you bastard climb up here then"

Nemesis still stood his ground, fists clenched and screaming out hate. Never once did his gaze drop towards his weapons, Jill was an easy target with the rocket launcher and yet he didn't fire, the creature preferred to stand at the base of the hill bellowing in that terrible voice.

The mysterious girl tried to stand up mumbling something under her breath but then suddenly collapsed.

Jill snapped out of her trance and went over to the girl, when attempting to move her Jill's hand brushed against Carlo's arm. Both looked at each other but no words were said what was done is done the pair had been through a lot together to let a simple outburst split them apart. Her thoughts turned back to the girl, her skin felt hot enough to fry an egg yet a few moments ago she looked fine.

Carlos noticed the temperature change as well, "Her skin, it's so hot like a fever or something"

Jill thought about the time she was infected with the T-virus, she had felt hot and feverish too, but she couldn't see any marks that indicated infection. _That monster could've done the same to the girl as what happened to me_ Jill thought. Maybe when the girl was running one of the tentacles from Nemesis lashed out and infected her with the virus. If that were the case then in a few hours the girl would become a zombie and Jill would have no choice but to shoot her.

Carlos was thinking the same thing as he got up and went over to the packs; "Well this is going to be a real endurance training for both of us"

"If we manage to survive, look Carlos about what I said before I was completely out of line yelling at you"

"Don't worry about it Jill, how long have we been fighting together? Difference of opinion is bound to collide sometime" Carlos replied shrugging. "I just didn't think it would be in this situation"

Jill only smiled, her and Carlos had been through a lot, they had at least entered hell and back a few times and survived, she knew that this new threat would be faced together as a team.

The girl suddenly moaned softly and her whisperings grew louder, "Nemesis where are you? Griffin leave me alone! Don't hurt Nemesis, he dies I die, leave him alone!"

Hearing the girl's cries not only made Jill and Carlos attempt to still her flailing limbs but Nemesis had obviously heard his name and began to scream out once again.

"Did I just hear her cry out for Nemesis?" Carlos asked.

Jill shrugged, "She's delirious, wherever she escaped from must've tortured her or did something to her surgically, knowing Umbrella it was probably both"

Carlos could only nod, "What if this girl is like Alice?"

Hearing the name Jill went still, suddenly Nemesis sounded as threatening as a puppy. She shook her head, "No I think like that monster outside this girl is different"

Carefully Carlos walked over to the mouth of the cave, Nemesis had stopped crying out but only for the moment.

"Different? How? A few moments ago you were ready to blow his brains out, why the sudden change in opinion on Nemesis?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know, that thing out there, it struck me that he didn't want to get up here to kill anyone, maybe he wanted to escape something too. Look at us Carlos, I almost had a nervous break down and you're standing at the mouth of a cave wondering if it's Racoon over again"

"That too, but I was also wondering about another thing have a look"

Jill got up and walked over towards the mouth of the cave peering down at Nemesis. Seeing the pair appear Nemesis began to holler once again, sounding more hoarse and desperate then before.

"What is it that I should be seeing other then a very pissed off monster?" Jill asked.

Carlos grinned, "Either he doesn't know that he has weapons or we may have a chance to escape, think about it Jill why doesn't Nemesis fire a rocket up here? He can very easily blow us to pieces so why not?"

"Maybe whoever sent him wants the girl alive, I'm guessing someone called Griffin" Jill replied.

"True but it still doesn't make any sense, why isn't Nemesis climbing up here to get at us? Or firing warning shots?" Carlos pointed out. "Umbrella is ruthless when they want something, even if it means bringing that something back in pieces"

It did make sense in a way, the whole thing did seem weird and yet as Jill began to think it over Carlos produced a smoke bomb.

"Let's see how long this will go, if I can time it then we may have a chance to escape and avoid fighting Nemesis"

Jill only watched as Carlos threw down the smoke grenade, it bounced off the rocky walls and landed a few inches in front of Nemesis.

Nemesis didn't even seem to notice or care the grenade had been thrown and was too busy crying out when it went off. As smoke began to engulf Nemesis his cries began to get worse, now he sounded to a point pathetic.

Hearing the hysterical hoarse cries of Nemesis made Jill almost feel sorry for the monster, the black clad demon that had pursed her through Racoon was different to the creature below them. The cries of Nemesis reminded Jill of a mother who had lost her kid in the crowds and her voice was getting higher pitched for every second that went by. It didn't feel right, there was something wrong about it, Nemesis was a monster built for destruction, not something that would run with a mystery girl through half the surrounding bushland for a night. Certainly not the type of creature that would be capable of expressing any emotion let alone worry.

_Why am I thinking this?!?_ Jill thought. _Thanks to that thing I have all my repressed memories back!_

Turing back to the girl who was lying in a contorted heap Jill began to think, they had to get the girl to somewhere safe away from the cave and the hollering Nemesis. If both had been followed by squads, which no doubt they had, the surrounding area was now very dangerous.

As Carlos got ready to throw another smoke grenade he faced Jill, "So what's the plan? I don't think Nemesis is going anywhere"

"We stay put for the moment" Jill replied as she reached into her pack and got out a map.

"Stay put? But why?"

"That thing isn't going to come up here and by the looks of it can't open fire if we have the girl with us" Jill explained. She spread the map on the ground, "There's goat paths that run all along the main mountain ranges, if we can get on those without being noticed by Nemesis then we should be able to get to the nearest town"

Glancing at the map Carlos screwed up his face, "Rollingstone, we're miles away from there how are we supposed to get not only ourselves but another person over that mountain range"

"Simple we build a stretcher"

"With what? Rocks?" Carlos asked. "I say we wait until Nemesis leaves, he has to stop yowling soon that has to be doing something to him"

"I think the only thing that's happening to Nemesis is that he may be getting a sore throat but nothing else" Jill replied as she folded up the map. "What choice do we have? The girl is getting worse she'll die if we don't help her"

Carlos sighed, "Alright but say if we do get her to a hospital what if Umbrella's goons are waiting for her there? Not only that but have you forgotten that we're on the police most wanted list? What do we do if someone recognizes us?"

"It's a risk we'll have to take, we're been in worse situations then this. How many of those smoke grenades do you have left?"

"Six, if you count the one I have in my hand"

"Well they're going to have to count, save one for when we leave ok?"

"Alright but you haven't told me the plan yet"

Jill walked up to the edge of the cave and peered over it, below Nemesis looked up at her and opened his mouth but could only manage a dull roar.

"It doesn't look like he can see very well through smoke," Jill said.

"I don't like the look of this"

"Relax it'll be fine, you throw down a grenade that'll distract Nemesis, I'll go down the opposite side of the hill gather a few materials then come back up"

Carlos didn't look impressed, "You really think you can pull something like that off?"

"It's the best I can do on a moments notice" Jill said.

Before either could say anything the girl cried out, this time it sounded like as though she was in pain, "The bad things get the bad things away"

So it was decided Jill lowered herself down on a cable while Carlos threw smoke grenades at Nemesis to distract him. Jill would run forward gather a few strong twigs for the stretcher and scuttle back up the rope dangling from the cave mouth.

Twice she almost ran into Nemesis who was stumbling through the smoke as though he was blind. The second time Jill was almost spotted by the giant who tried to grab her but she easily slipped away. As Nemesis thudded behind her Jill turned and saw through the smoke the back of her enraged foe.

There seemed to have been at one point thick cables that were attached to the back of Nemesis. He also had a faint red scarring of a belt or wire that had been around his head. Wherever this creature had been kept he had obviously been chained to something before escaping. Both the holes and the red line gave Jill the impression that Nemesis had ripped them out of himself in a hurry.

_But why do that if someone had released Nemesis to hunt the girl?_ Jill wondered. Maybe she'd gotten all of this mixed up, perhaps Nemesis was as much on the run from Umbrella as the mysterious girl was.

Hearing Carlos call Jill's name, she turned, with good reason, the smoke was starting to clear and Nemesis could easily see Jill.

Realizing she may be turned into a human pancake Jill quickly ran towards the rope. She was only able to bring up one large stick before Nemesis caught up to her, roaring with frustration. The roar spurred Jill on as she easily scaled the rope, but her hopes were dashed when the rope went tight. _Shit! It's trying to climb up!_ Jill thought.

"Carlos! The knife, quickly!" Jill called out.

Carlos rushed over to where the rope was tied, around a rock formation and began to cut through the thick rope with the combat knife.

Jill could hear the harsh breathing of Nemesis and even smell the chemical aroma that was coming from the creature's flesh. "Carlos you better hurry"

"I'm trying, got it!" Carlos called out triumphantly.

Both looked over the edge and saw that Nemesis had already fallen but it wasn't like Jill's vision. The giant lay there on his side for a few moments; both the weapons had been tossed aside to avoid injury. Suddenly the creature stirred and began to rise; stiffly Nemesis walked over to his weapons and reattached them. Then he simply turned to stare back up at the pair and slowly walked over to the shade of the bushland. The gesture was simple: You have won, for now.

"He's not going to give up" Jill replied.

"Then we better make that stretcher fast and hope it's not all in vain"

Glancing over at the girl Jill saw that she was now a pasty white colour and breathing raggedly. Whatever virus she had it was doing more damage to her for every hour that passed.

The heated day came and went and soon darkness began to fall.

Jill and Carlos stood up from the dirt ground proud of their work; the stretcher was nothing more then pieces of fabric from extra camouflage gear, held together by elastic and thick pieces of wood as frames.

"We'll have to wait until the morning now, it's too dark and we can't really risk walking along the mountain range with very little light" Jill replied.

Carlos nodded, "What about keeping watch?"

"I don't think we really have to, I mean Nemesis isn't really equipped for climbing walls"

"No I guess not, this kind of reminds me of the old times"

Jill only smiled as she unfurled her sleeping bag, "And I thought you said you weren't a zombie?"

Carlos only laughed and went over to his own pack, "You never know"

The loud cry of Nemesis broke the moment between the pair, it continued for a few moments then stopped.

Jill lay down on her bag, "The sooner we get out of this the better"

"Agreed, wait until the others hear about this" Carlos replied.

Slowly sleep claimed the pair but below was a different matter.

The surrounding bushland was unfamiliar to Nemesis; he'd never been in an environment that he hadn't known. The labs weren't a safe place to be either but at least Nemesis knew where he was. Still it did feel good to be outside, not cooped up inside a cold steel room where others constantly poked and prodded him with needles. The men in the white coats always entered with the intention of taking DNA samples with scalpels and at times draining his blood to have it examined. If he tried to strike the men then there would be others with hard black skin that would zap him with long sticks that sizzled. The procedures never seemed to end but ever since escaping from the labs he hadn't felt alone; now Nemesis could feel the loneliness creeping up his back like a terrible black insect. Staring up at the cave where there was a dim glow Nemesis could only wait until it was light again, he had been studying the sides of the hill and when it was morning he would make his move.

The next morning when Jill woke up she immediately checked on the girl who still had the same skin temperature as yesterday. The other good factor was that she hadn't turned into a zombie but the girl still needed medical attention and fast.

Walking up to the side of the cave Jill peered over the edge cautiously, she didn't want to attract the monster's attention if she could afford it. Instead of seeing the black clad figure staring back at her the entire field was empty.

Nemesis it seems had disappeared, he wasn't anywhere to be seen, the rocket launcher and chain gun were also gone.

For a moment Jill felt a pang of disappointment, she couldn't help but to admire Nemesis and his determination in a strange kind of way. He had screamed to the sky for almost an entire day and didn't budge when Carlos threw the smoke grenades. Now it seemed that even big unstoppable giants had to return home if they knew it was hopeless. Yet it didn't feel right, this reminded Jill of when she went down into the waste ducts in Racoon. She'd also thought that the danger had passed but Nemesis had only hidden until Jill got close enough then he exploded out of the darkness like the mad demonic creature he was.

_There's something different about this one_ Jill thought. _Something I really can't put my finger on_.

Maybe Nemesis was hiding out in the bushland waiting for them to come down but even then he'd be wrong. Both Jill and Carlos had decided that the front of the hill was too well known by Nemesis. They had discovered a narrow path leading down the opposite side of the hill, which connected up to the mountain range. It seemed an easy climb down and hopefully would go unnoticed by the black clad giant on the other side.

Softly waking Carlos the pair packed the sleeping bags in their backpacks then carefully lowered the girl onto the stretcher. The girl didn't even move or make a sound as they did this, which was good in a way. If she cried out when they were walking down the hill's path it would be picked up by Nemesis.

Even Carlos was a bit disappointed when he realized that Nemesis was no longer there.

"Looks like he went home" Carlos replied.

Jill shouldered her backpack then went over to the stretcher, "Yeah that'd be nice, home time for murderous mutants, give me a hand with this will you?"

Carlos held onto the other end of the stretcher as they slowly made their way to the 'back' of the cave.

Being as careful as possible in trying not the bump the stretcher Jill and Carlos slowly descended the cave and onto the path.

"You know this seems a little too easy for my liking" Carlos said. "Something like Nemesis just doesn't give up and go home"

Before Jill could reply she heard a familiar hoarse roar, she looked to the side to see Nemesis sliding towards her, his tentacles whipping the air like a demonic octopus.

Carlos saw the monster as well, "He knew we were going around this side"

But Jill wasn't worried about how Nemesis knew the alternate escape route; it was the fact that on this side he could easily climb the walls.

Nemesis slid past the pair and rolled to a stop on the ledge, then grasping a foothold on a small ledge with one meaty hand began pulling himself up.

Almost dropping the stretcher Jill and Carlos had no choice but to go back up the hill face. When reaching the top all they could do was listen to the victory roar of Nemesis as he climbed up the wall.

"Now what! In a few minutes that thing is going to be here!" Carlos cried out. "He planned to ambush us when we were going down, but how'd Nemesis know that there was another side?"

Jill understood why, between the screaming and attempted climbing Nemesis had been gathering information, assessing the situation like any good solider would. _He was probably planning on catching us inside the cave; coming down the side was even better_. Now that they'd been thrown off by the approaching Nemesis all of their careful plans were being washed away.

Jill had, had enough of this running and hiding, it was time to stand her ground, hostile or not Nemesis was an obstacle that needed to be taken care of.

Carlos reached into his backpack and retrieved the handgun, "Looks like we fight"

Jill nodded and smiled, "Just like old times"

The hysterical cries of Nemesis suddenly filled the cave, one giant hand pawed at the opening followed by the other. Soon the entire monster filled the cave and he was worse up close then down on the ground.

Jill had already seen Nemesis but never this close before, he still had that same coloured skin like badly healed scar tissue, fists the size of watermelons, while his head was featureless save for the surgical staples along the left side of his face, lipless mouth and large tentacles whipping out from under his coat. The chain gun and rocket launcher that had been clipped on both sides of Nemesis were tossed aside.

Jill could practically hear the sound of the monster's knuckles crack; he had been waiting for a fight. _Then a fight he'll get_ she thought. After all they've been through no way were either Carlos or herself giving up the girl without a fight. Still she didn't understand why Nemesis had thrown his weapons down, why not use them? Or maybe he'd figured out that at this distance they'd do more harm then good.

Either way Jill was ready, although unarmed if she could get to the chain gun that Nemesis had so thoughtfully discarded perhaps she might have a chance.

Carlos pointed the handgun at Nemesis; he wouldn't stand a chance against a giant with such a weak weapon yet it was worth a try.

As Nemesis took a step towards Carlos he raised the gun at the monster, "Stay back!"

Jill was confused when she heard Carlos say this, what was he doing? A command like that wouldn't halt something as big and bad as Nemesis.

For a split second however Nemesis did stop, his tentacles retracted and disappeared into his coat, the roaring abruptly ceased.

Even Carlos was shocked by the sudden actions of Nemesis; here was a monster capable of smashing him into a bloody pulp yet he had stopped when told to.

Then all hell broke loose, as Nemesis was backing away from Carlos the girl decided to scream out, this was no ordinary cry it sounded as though she was being ripped apart from the inside. She began to make a terrible gurgling sound while starting to seizure.

Nemesis saw his chance and swatted Carlos and the gun aside; Jill jumped in front of the giant and began pelting him with rocks in an effort to slow him down. Yet she too was flicked aside by the monster. Jill fell so hard that she couldn't get up for a few seconds and both could only watch on helplessly as Nemesis knelt down beside the girl and extended a tentacle from out of his wrist.

Jill had seen that tentacle only twice, when Brad Vickers was killed and when she was infected with the T-virus. Now it was happening to another person, a complete stranger but still the principals were there, the girl was going to die.

The tentacle was shoved down the girl's throat and Nemesis positioned the girl so that she was leaning against his upper body. It looked like something that the monster was quite familiar with. But it wasn't the weird 'infection' that Nemesis was doing it was how gentle he was with the girl, he didn't roughly pull her head back or break her neck, he knelt down, carefully propping her up and administered whatever terrible organism that was inside that tentacle.

In a matter of minutes it was over, the tentacle slid back up Nemesis's arm and gently lowering the girl down stood up almost waiting for her to awake.

Jill had taken the moment to take the handgun from Carlos who was half unconscious. As she got ready to aim at the monster's throat the girl moved, she coughed and tried to stand.

When she opened her eyes and saw Jill aiming the gun at Nemesis she cried out as she did before.

But Jill didn't see the girl, she was staring into the eyes of Nemesis, his eyes were green just like the girl's and they weren't filled with rage. Those eyes that stared back at Jill weren't the eyes of a monstrous beast but the eyes of someone who had been through as much hell as Jill had. Innocent eyes not filled with murderous intent but worry, the worry about being separated from someone who they cared about.

_The loud roaring_ Jill thought _Nemesis wasn't screaming bloodlust he was upset because he knew that he couldn't reach the girl and that she was sick_.

The mysterious girl suddenly stood in front of Nemesis; her face was worried and fearful.

"Please don't kill him, Nemesis was only saving me, if he dies I die" the girl said while a single tear slipped down her face.

When hearing this Jill stopped, what the girl said was exactly what she had mumbled while she had the fever. "What do you mean if he dies you die?"

"Put away the gun, it's making us both nervous" the girl replied.

As Jill lowered the handgun she couldn't help but find what the girl had said quite funny. She was well aware that having a gun pointed in your face would make a human being scared but a monster like Nemesis?

Behind Jill Carlos moved and moaned, ignoring the stares from both the girl and Nemesis Jill strode past them and helped Carlos up.

"Whoa it feels like I was hit by a semi trailer," Carlos mumbled.

Steading Carlos against her Jill glared over at Nemesis then towards the girl, "Go ahead talk, not that'll do either one of any good, you're from Umbrella"

The girl sighed, "That's not even half of it, my name is Alyssa Winterstone, my father used to work at Umbrella, he didn't make the virus but he did manage to cross both strains to create a single one"

Jill allowed Carlos to stand by himself, "I don't believe that, how do I know that the two of you weren't sent from Umbrella to spy on us?"

Nemesis growled at Jill, Alyssa held up her hand in front of the monster calming him, "I speak the truth, my father made the T/G strain, I guess in a way it was my fault, when I was born I had cancer all through my bones, my father tried everything chemo therapy, anti cancer vaccine, the works, nothing stopped the cancer inside of me from growing"

"The bad things, is that what you were talking about?" Jill asked.

Alyssa shook her head, "No they came much later, my father wanted me to live, I don't remember my mother but…" She trailed off for a moment then continued. "He had no choice but to inject the T/G virus in me, my father always told me that the T virus mutates and the G virus repairs, he was right. The cancer disappeared but not before Umbrella's people came, they took my father away, I never saw him again"

"What about him?" Carlos asked pointing to Nemesis "He didn't just follow you out here for the fun of it"

Alyssa smiled and patted Nemesis on the right shoulder, "My father made him, he knew that when Umbrella took him away no one would be able to help me keep the bad things away, so he made Nemesis and he has Daylight inside of him. If you would've killed him then I'd die as well, the vaccine keeps the virus in check"

"Not to mention having an eight foot tall bodyguard," Jill replied. She had heard of the experimental serum called Daylight that apparently halted the mutation from the virus, she didn't know if it was affective or not yet it seemed to help Alyssa.

Hearing this Alyssa shook her head, "Nemesis is very protective of me, he means no harm to anyone, I guess that's how my father made him"

"How'd you get all the way out here through? There are no hospitals around here?" Jill asked.

"Both of us escaped from a medical facility not far from here, I think it's not too far, I ran a fair way"

Jill watched as Nemesis strode past her and reached for his weapons and clipped them on either side. Those large strides carried the monster over to the 'back' of the cave where the discarded weapons lay, in a matter of minutes, at anytime he could turn back and hit either her or Carlos over the side with little effort.

Alyssa now looked at Jill, "What are your names? You obviously don't work for Umbrella so who are you?"

Both hesitated before speaking, it could be a trap, the cover story sounded so believable, yet Alyssa's tears and her emotions were so real, no spy could fake that. _And besides even if we did do the unthinkable and kill Alyssa we'd still have to deal with Nemesis_ Jill thought. She glanced over to Carlos and could see he was thinking the same thing.

_Screw it_ she thought _Alyssa doesn't look like the type to go apeshit on us when we say who we are_.

"I'm Jill Valentine and my friend here is Carlos Oliveira, we used to work with different organizations but now we're part of a group that want to bring Umbrella down" Jill replied carefully choosing her words, she didn't mention the fact that she was part of the S.T.A.R.S. it didn't feel right even saying the word in front of Nemesis. God only knew that all of those eight foot giants may've had some program in their brain that would react to that word, the last thing Jill wanted was Nemesis lunging at her wanting to rip her throat out yelling out Stars!

"Umbrella thinks that they've gotten away with their dirty deeds, but we're showing them that they haven't, we're bringing out all the secrets they try so hard to hide" Carlos said.

Alyssa had heard someone outside her cell a few months ago mention that rebels had destroyed a lab near Sydney, it wasn't a big important one but it still struck a cord with the others. "You destroyed a lab in Sydney recently"

"Yes, but how did you know about that?" Jill asked, her suspicion starting to rise.

"I heard about it when I was in the dark place, the people outside sounded really upset about it. I don't want to go back there, neither of us do, back to the tests and experiments and Griffin, can I join you? Can Nemesis and I join your fight against Umbrella?" Alyssa suddenly cried out.

Jill was taken aback by what Alyssa had said; she hadn't expected her to say something like that.

"Jill you better answer that" Carlos said taking a step back.

"Listen Alyssa I'm not so sure about that I mean what we do is dangerous and not really the kind of thing that someone like you should be involved in, you should just appreciate your freedom and move on" Jill replied.

The words had their affect on Alyssa who looked crestfallen, "So you're rejecting me? I have no where else to go, neither of us can't exactly live in a city"

Jill sighed and glanced over to Carlos who only shrugged and shook his head.

The situation was tense as it was, Alyssa looked as though she was about to cry and Nemesis simply stared at the group with a look that could burn through skin, clearly he could understand what was going on but could do nothing to help.

Suddenly Carlos spoke up, "Well then how about this, you two come back with us and if you don't like our line of work you're free to go"

Alyssa looked up, "Really you mean it?"

"Carlos I don't think that's a good…"

Carlos raised his left hand up cutting Jill off, "So what do you say? Remember if you come with us and then decide to leave then you can't tell anyone promise?"

Turning away from the pair Carlos whispered to the shell shocked Jill, "We know this patch of bush better then they do, loosing them will be easy"

Hearing this upset Jill, "After all they've been through it sounds kind of harsh, I mean just leaving them out there to fend for themselves"

Carlos winked, "Just leave it to me"

Turning back to the group Jill had a phoney smile on, Alyssa seemed ok with the decision yet Nemesis snorted and folded his arms.

Not even glancing at Nemesis, Jill continued, "So what's your decision?"

Alyssa nodded, "We'll go with you as long as it's not a trick"

"No there's no tricks," Jill answered feeling guiltier by the minute.

Slowly all four descended the rocky hillside that faced the bushland, the whole time Jill knew that Nemesis was regarding her and Carlos with glares. He must've overheard the plan to desert them but couldn't say a single word.

Alyssa on the other hand though slightly cautious of her new company was still nervous glancing up at the sky every few seconds. Her legs felt like rubber and when reaching the last ledge before the bottom of the hill she had to be led down by Nemesis.

Jill waited until Alyssa and Nemesis had reached the edge of the hill before continuing.

Carlos was doing his best impression of a believable guide striding forward with his backpack resting on his left shoulder, swinging his arms back and forth. "Come on let's all stick together this part of the bush is very thick and we don't want to lose anyone"

Jill couldn't take this act yet she had too if they were to lose Alyssa and Nemesis, she walked past Carlos and rolled her eyes, "Don't over do it ok? We're not leading a pair of idiots into the bush" She was feeling really guilty for having to leave the pair behind, who knows where they could end up? If Alyssa told the truth and there were teams out looking for her then she may be recaptured and end up with the person she named Griffin.

Before entering the bushland Jill stopped and turned to face Alyssa, "Who's Griffin Alyssa? You mentioned him a few times, he sounds pretty nasty"

Alyssa only looked at Jill straight in the eyes, all expression had disappeared now her face was deadpan, "He is a bad man" she simply replied then continued to walk forward.

Suddenly Nemesis reached out and grabbed Alyssa's arm and uttered a roar that sounded a lot like someone yelling out no.

Alyssa turned around to face the giant, "What's wrong? It's ok we can trust them, Jill and Carlos are our friends now"

Every word that Alyssa said felt like a knife being driven into Jill's side, she glanced at Carlos but he either didn't care or see her. _It has to be done we can't afford to be found by Umbrella not when we're so close!_ Jill thought.

Nemesis was smarter then he looked, he knew that they were going to be abandoned by Jill and Carlos. He'd figured it out that as soon as they entered the scrub these 'friends' would take off leaving Alyssa and himself high and dry, not to mention at the mercy at whatever highly trained Umbrella squad they came across.

Seeing Nemesis act like this made Jill and Carlos reconsider, although Alyssa seemed to trust them it was Nemesis who kept her inline. He'd obviously been around people longer then Alyssa and could tell lies and tricks when he saw them.

Nevertheless Alyssa walked into the scrub while Nemesis had no choice but to follow her.

Walking past Jill and Carlos the monster turned once again and glared at them, the message was simple: I'm onto the two the of you.

Nemesis stayed behind Jill and Carlos when they entered the dense scrub no doubt watching their every move.

Both now felt the guilt and also at the same time felt as though they were being marched towards a cell like prisoners or victims of a death camp.

It suddenly occurred to Alyssa that the entire forest had gone quiet, not even the sound of a crow cawing could be heard. _Something's wrong_ Alyssa thought _all the sound is gone_.

"Alyssa what's the matter?" Jill called out after noticing the girl had stopped.

Alyssa turned to face Jill, "Nothing that's what's wrong, there's no sound"

Before anyone else could answer Nemesis started to growl softly, like a dog ready to attack.

At the same time ten heavily armed men materialized out of the dense scrub. Each carried an assault rifle, wore black body armour and had the Umbrella logo on their helmets. The squad gradually forced Alyssa, Jill, Carlos and Nemesis towards each other as they closed in from the sides.

One of the men barked an order for them to drop any weapons; Nemesis however didn't comply and knocked several of the men flying.

Four others attempted to taser the giant but the darts simply bounced off the black coat that Nemesis wore.

Jill and Carlos easily tore through the rapidly disintegrating circle of soldiers in time to see Alyssa knock an advancing guard to the ground with one fluid kick.

In just a few moments the entire squad of heavily armed men had been taken down. Jill was amazed at how fast Alyssa moved, a few hours ago she'd been in a virus fever state and now she was doing roundhouse kicks to the enemies.

Still it felt like as though this ambush had all been all set up, what if this squad knew that Alyssa and Nemesis were coming this way?

Then Jill felt the cold metal barrel of a gun pressed up against her spine.

"Freeze you rebel bitch!" the man said harshly. "Looks like I can kill two birds with one stone, I'll bring the girl, the freak, you and your boyfriend back to Dr Griffin"

Suddenly everything seemed to be in slow motion, as it so often did for Jill in life threatening circumstances.

Alyssa was standing a few meters away yelling something, her face full of anger, Carlos seemed to be like a goldfish his mouth opening and shutting yet Jill couldn't hear anything and as for Nemesis, he seemed to disappear.

The Umbrella solider shoved Jill aside and fired in the direction of Carlos but the bullets never hit, instead a wall of black had sprung up and the bullets hit that instead.

Time then sped up and Jill struggled to her feet in time to see the assault rifle's bullets go into the body of Nemesis, he didn't seem affected by the hail of gun fire, in fact knowing a creature like Nemesis it only would make him angrier.

Nemesis roared in anger and stepped forward towards the solider his giant footsteps shaking the earth.

The solider tried to run, throwing his now empty weapon on the ground, his tough demeanour now gone he simply wanted to escape.

By the time Jill had reached Carlos and Alyssa she turned to see Nemesis cornering the Umbrella solider.

Nemesis had extended his wrist tentacle and his right hand had now covered the screaming man's face. The man's screams were muffled by the giant's palm as he screamed and weakly punched at the thick arm. This time there would be no healing anti virus only pain and death.

That was all Jill could take she turned away, she didn't see the final blow, she didn't see the razor tipped tentacle sticking out of the man's head and she certainly didn't see the twitching body of the dead solider fall to the ground. Though yet again Jill knew that she would spend another month just trying to repress the noises of something she shouldn't have heard.

Satisfied the threat was over Nemesis shouldered his weapons and turned his back on the body. His booted feet crunching over the fallen twigs and dead leaves the giant continued past Jill and Carlos and stopped beside Alyssa.

Carlos looked at Jill who now had a white face and a worried look on her face, "You ok?"

Despite what had just happened Jill managed a smile, "I'm just glad they're on our side"

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing, let's get out of here" Jill replied. She was still badly shaken by the whole experience, yet she had to be strong. _Looks like both Alyssa and Nemesis are staying with us for a long time better get used to it_.

The group walked for another half and hour until a small log cabin rose into view.

"That's it right there!" Carlos called out.

Alyssa studied the little cottage, she'd never seen anything like it before but it was a welcome change to the sterile labs. She run towards it screaming and crying tears of joy, she was finally free.

Nemesis ran beside her, his chain gun making clinking noises when descending the small grassy hill.

Jill could only stand on top of the hill and watch the pair run towards the cabin.

The way Alyssa moved out in the scrub was so similar to Alice. _Yeah and looked what happened to her_ she thought. Her mind drifting back to the inside of the jeep, the hot sun baked sand of the desert and those feral wild eyes.

Shaking the thought off Jill thought it would be very interesting in explaining the newest editions to the group to the others.

Turning to Carlos both smiled and ascended the grassy hill together. They were all apart of this conspiracy whether they liked it or not and had to accept help and allies in what whatever form they took.

The fight begins…

37


End file.
